Where is the leak in the surgeon pipeline?

Abstract

Introduction: In order to care for an increasingly diverse population, the surgical workforce must improve in gender, racial, and ethnic diversity. We aim to identify deficiencies in the surgical pipeline.

Methods: Data from the United States Census, Bureau of Labor Statistics, and Association of American Medical Colleges were collected from 2004 to 2018, and evaluated for changing population over time.

Results: Women comprise 51% of the population, 32% of surgeons, and representation is increasing at a rate of 0.4% per year. 13% of the population and 6% of surgeons are black, and representation is decreasing at a rate of -0.1% per year. Hispanics represent 18% of the population, 6% of surgeons, and representation is increasing at a rate of 0.04% per year.

Conclusions: While the proportion of women and Hispanic surgeons is slowly increasing, the proportion of black surgeons is decreasing. Recruitment methods need to be focused to improve surgical workforce diversity.

Keywords: Diversity; Pipeline; Representation; Surgery.